City News Blog

The latest happenings in your city government.

Curtis Porterfield has been named the City of Lakeland’s Manager of Lakes and Stormwater and he will officially start Monday, February 4th. Porterfield has been serving as a Lakes Biologist for the Polk County Board of County Commissioners since 2007. Prior to his tenure with Polk County, he worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as an Environmental Specialist for three years.

Porterfield said, “I am eager to apply my years of experience and environmental science education to the Manager of Lakes and Stormwater position. I am very familiar with the program, overseeing similar duties for Polk County and I look forward to this opportunity.”

Director of Public Works, Rick Lilyquist said, “We had some very talented candidates that applied for this position and we feel that Curtis is the right choice because of his years of experience and associated knowledge of lakes restoration programs, his passion for the environment, and desire to enhance the quality of Lakeland’s surface water resources."

Porterfield graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy. His annual salary as Manager of Lakes and Stormwater will be $71,905.60 and he is 34 years old.

The Lakes and Stormwater Division is staffed by five environmental scientists and it is housed within the Public Works Department. The division is located at 407 Fairway Avenue. Funding for Lakes and Stormwater related projects comes from the City's Stormwater Utility. The establishment of the Lakes and Stormwater Division has contributed considerably to improving the health and beauty of Lakeland’s water bodies. For more information regarding the City of Lakeland and its services, please visit www.lakelandgov.net.

The City of Lakeland is seeking input from citizens on values and priorities of the community. There are TWO ways to make sure your voice is heard. Attend a meeting or participate in an online survey. Either option allows citizen feedback on City services and programs.

SURVEY

Visit lakelandvalues.com and spend 5-10 minutes of your time in taking the survey. Citizen opinion is very important and the City is going to use the information gathered from the survey to help with City of Lakeland strategic and budgeting initiatives. The survey is available online January 23rd – Feb 24th.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

There will be a series of Community Workshops to gather information and opinions on City of Lakeland services. Workshops are designed for small groups of citizens to discuss community values and priorities. Those wanting to participate can sign up for a workshop by going to lakelandvalues.com or they can call 834-SWAN. Community Workshops will be held on the following dates:

Please take the time to participate in a workshop and take the online survey. Citizen input will help plan for Lakeland’s future. Those that participate in the Community Values Survey or Workshop are eligible to win a golf package at Cleveland Heights, Tickets to a Lakeland Center event, a VIP Package to a Detroit Tigers Spring Training Game (tickets and food) or Kelly Recreation Complex/Gandy Pool passes. Visit www.lakelandvalues.com or call 834-SWAN for more information.

At the City Commission Meeting held Tuesday January 22nd the following decisions were made.

The appointments of Cora Rankins to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Jack Strollo, to the Code Enforcement Board, Brian Waller to the Historic Preservation Board and Deborah Boynton to the Midtown Community Redevelopment Area Board were approved.

A recommendation that Penny McAuley be eligible for reappointment to a second full term at the end of her current term on The Planning & Zoning Board was approved.

A Lease Agreement with RDI, LLC for hangar space located in the Airside Center was approved.

An appeal of Denial of Conditional Use at 215 East Main St. was denied.

Large scale future land use map amendment from county residential low and linear commercial corridor to city residential medium, mixed commercial corridor, and conservation on 56.77 acres located north of U.S. Highway 92, West of Fairway Avenue and East of Lake Parker was approved

A text amendment to the Future Land Use Element of the Lakeland Comprehensive Plan to provide consistency with 2012 state legislation related to Green Swamp Policies was approved

A proposed large scale future land use map amendment on 26.8 acres, from regional activity center (rac) to residential medium (rm) on property located at 1020 South Parkway Frontage Road east of Harden Boulevard, south of the South Frontage Road to the Polk Parkway Was approved.

Text Amendment #T-12-013 to the Future Land Use Element of the Lakeland Comprehensive Plan Amending the Office Center Land Use Designation was approved.

Authorization to enter into two engineering Task Authorizations in the amounts not to exceed $289,468 and $248,023 respectively, to provide for engineering services, for the airport, related to the Runway 9/27 rehabilitation and the South Ramp, with Amherst Consulting for the design through bidding phase was approved.

A Task Authorization for a not to exceed amount of $34,980 for an engineering contract with Atkins and execution of a construction contract with Ox Construction and Company for $127,000 for capital improvements at the Airside Center for construction of a shipping and receiving area and office area in northern Bays 2 and 3 was approved

Authorization for City officials to commence negotiations with the top ranked firm of, Lunz Prebor Fowler, Architects for Fire Station #7 project architectural and engineering services was approved .

Proposed resolution no. 13-003 A resolution relating to Lakeland Electric; repealing resolution 4855; designating certain individuals and corporations as authorized representatives of the City of Lakeland, Florida, for the purpose of executing one or more fuel contracts was approved.

Award of Bid No. 2318 to Econolite Control Products, Inc. for advanced traffic Management system center upgrades was approved in the amount of $297,560.00.

Amendment One to The Fire Protection Agreement with Polk County adding additional territory and increasing the dollar Amount by $5,650 was approved.

An agreement with Florida Department of Economic Opportunity extending the deadline for filing annual certification for the current calendar year to May 31, 2013 was approved.

Have you ever seen a camellia bloom? If you have, then you know its beauty is the best kept secret in the flower world. If you have not seen this spectacular porcelain-like flower, you have an opportunity to see for yourself literally hundreds of camellia blooms in an amazing array of different colors, sizes, and varieties at the Lakeland Camellia Society’s 31th Annual Camellia Show and Plant Sale.

The Lakeland Camellia Society will hold their annual one-day Camellia Show at North Lakeland Presbyterian Church in the Fellowship Hall, 6725 N. Socrum Loop Rd, Lakeland, Florida on Saturday, January 26, 2013. It is open to the public for leisurely viewing from 1 to 5 pm. Mark your calendar now to come see the world’s best-kept flower secret.

The Fellowship Hall has ample free parking. Admission is free and the building is wheelchair accessible.

Those wishing to enter blooms need not be members of any club or society. Just bring your blooms to North Lakeland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall between 7 and 9:30 am. The show is held under the rules of The American Camellia Society, which certifies the judges and establishes the categories so amateur and professional growers compete equally. Members of the Lakeland Camellia Society will be on hand to assist in placing blooms for judging, identifying blooms and answering any questions about Camellias, Lakeland Camellia Society, and The American Camellia Society.

The plant sale is scheduled from 12 pm to 5 pm unless sold out. There will be many different varieties of camellia plants on sale to help people get started or just add to their collections of camellias.

LCS meets at 7:00 pm the second Tuesday of each month October through April in the City of Lakeland Tigertown Complex at Parks Field offices 2220 North Lake Avenue, Lakeland FL. 33805.